Monthly Archives: July 2011

The final beach we tried to get to was in Ferragudo town. However, the directions we found on the internet were so poor we could not find it and so spent the day on Praia dos Caneiros. I have therefore decided to provide some proper directions for all you ‘nakationers’!

Directions

To get to the bare beach, drive out of Portimao into Ferragudo. Continue along the EN539 towards Vale da Azinhaga. Drive through this small built-up area. Just after exiting there is a right hand turn towards the Ferragudo lighthouse. Go past here and the rod to the beach is the next on your right. Leave you car at the car park above the main beach. Walk down to the beach and turn to the right (as you face the sea). Access is gained by walking round the foot of the cliff (best to be done during low tide).

Reviews

The fantastic Bare Beaches book (Lifestyle Press) gives the following comments on the beach:

“The small but almost exclusively bare beach is easy to find and has a fabulous view of craggy offshore rocks. The beach is a delightful and safe place to swim or sunbathe on the yellow sands and watch the seagulls flocking to the rocky islets. You can hire a paddle boat from the neighbouring Ferragudo town beach.

The second beach we visited was just outside Lagos – Praia dos Pinheiros.

Directions

The beach is located in Lagos, between Praia do Camilo and Ponta da Piedade. We drove to Ponta de Peidade, taking the coast road out of Lagos (signposted Ponta da Piedade) where you can park your car just before the lighthouse. There was a few small shops where you can buy drinks and snacks but suggest you take all you need for the day. Walk back towards Lagos along the coastal footpath and Praia dos Pinheiros is about 5 minute walk. Look out for steps leading down to the beach.

Review

Although not very big, the beach was gorgeous and very sheltered. The sea was warm and very clear – ideal for snorkeling. We spent two days here in total and both days attracted around 15 – 20 people. There was a good mix of people including elderly Portuguese couples, young couples and families.

There are steps that have been cut into the rocks to make access easy. Although they are quite step which could be a problem for the less mobile.

The only downside was the number of small fishing boats that ferry tourists along the coast from Lagos to the Lighthouse who tended to slow down to wave (and take photos) of the ‘crazy naked people’ as they went past.

The first beach we went to (and probably our favourite) was Praia das Furnas.

Directions

The beach is located just off the N125 at Figueira. Turn left or right at Parque da Floresta, towards Figueira village. After passing through the village follow a narrow concrete road. You will cross over a small wooden bridge. Shortly afterwards there is a dirt track to the left. This will take you to the beach. We missed this turning originally and had to turn back after reaching 4 or 5 properties. Turning back round it was actually easier to see the dirt track we were looking for heading to the right. The track to the beach was very stony so go easy in your hire car! You’ll soon reach a small farm building where the track goes to the right. You should then see a small car park at the rear of the beach.

When we visited there was about 50 people in total. Given that the beach is fairly expansive, people tend to sunbathe to the left or right. We headed to right on our first visit where 100% of visitors were nude. There was a good mix of ages. However, towards the end of the day a textiled family turned up and made us feel a little uncomfortable due to how close they ‘pitched’ next to us.

On our second visit we went to the left (as you face the sea). Here the rock formations were much more interesting and again, all beach users were nude. There was again one clothed family set back from the beach but this did not seem to cause any problems.

Remember to take everything you need for the day as there are no facilities. If you go on the right side you will definitely need a windbreak but this is not really needed on the left hand side of the beach.

We would definitely recommend this beach to anyone is this part of the Algarve. In fact, if anyone knows of any accommodation nearby, we would love to hear from you!

We spent a week in a small one bedroom villa with it’s own private pool on the outskirts of Benagil. The villa was advertised as having ‘a degree of privacy’ which was true apart from when the farmer turned up every couple of days or so! The villa overlooked agricultural land so was not at all overlooked and we felt comfortable to laze around the pool in the nude.

Benagil was great for it’s central location for exploring the coast (although a hire car was a must for the villa as we did feel that we were in the middle of nowhere.

Unfortunately the weather wasn’t great for the few days we were there. We decided to spend the afternoon in Sintra which was gorgeous. After a few hours admiring the various palaces, we decided to check out the beach.

Praia da Ursa

Traveling back down the N247 from Sintra to Cascais we paid a visit to Praia da Ursa. Unfortunately the weather was poor and very windy so we gave it a miss. The photos below show how beautiful it is though! Oh well, maybe next time!

The second beach we went to is a well known nudist beach on the southern coast – Filaki Beach.

I had read about the beach on various websites and thought it’d be a nice day out from Elounda. 4 hours later we had finally arrived! Suggest you stay in Chora Skafion to save a long journey back (as well as allowing for more time on the beach).

Directions

We took the main road out of Elounda along the northern coast to Georgioupoli. From here, the journey to Chora Skafion is quite impressive through the mountain range. Beware of the mountain goats though!

The road then twists and turns down to sea level. Before entering the small fishing village of Chora Skafion, there is a single track road that takes you towards the naturist hotel – Vritomartis Hotel. Take the road to left before the entrance to the hotel. This will lead you down to a small car park next to a beach bar.

The beach was fairly quite when we went (probably due to the overcast weather). However, sunbeds were available as was the beach bar (which also has toilets)

We spent a lovely few hours there. I even got talking to Vladimir, a guy on holiday with his girlfriend from St Petersburgh, Russia. Discussing Anglo-Russian politics in the nude was certainly a new experience!!

If you are in this part of Crete (or fancy a full ‘day out’) I would certainly recommend this beach.

Although I had spent most of my childhood holidays going to nudist beaches with my parents in South England and France, I stopped going when I hit my teens.

Then a holiday to Crete in 2009 with my wife, sparked a renewed interest in going to nudist beaches and memories of the sense of freedom returned.

We stayed in Elounda on the north coast of Crete. Looking at travel websites, I came across the excellent and very informative (if a little tired looking) Captain Barefoot’s Guide to the Greek Islands (http://www.barefoot.info/greekgde.html)

Kolokitha Bay

Directions

The beach can be accessed by driving out of Elounda towards the uninhabited peninsular of Kolokitha. This is easy to find and is situated to the right of Spinalonga Island. Follow the dirt track as it goes uphill slightly. At the top there is spaces to park your car. Follow the path down to the main beach (see photo above). This main beach was fairly busy with textile families and who were soon joined by two large ‘Party Boats’ (I assume these have come from Malia further round the coast to the north). Walk to the right of the main beach and follow the rocks/shoreline. Keep going for about 5-10 minutes and you’ll come across a small (probably about 10 metres wide secluded beach). It is well hidden from the path and perfect for spending a day in the nude. Remember to take your own food and refreshments as there are no facilities at all. Also suggest you wear a pair of sea/jelly shoes as there was a number of sea urchins as access into the sea is rocky. However, the day we visited the sea was warm and crystal clear and ideal for snorkeling. Perfect!

Welcome to mynakation, the blog that will share my experiences of all things associated with the naked vacation! I’ll use this blog to give you reviews of places I’ve been to plus links and comments on naked news.